We implement the latest in machining technology while servicing a diverse market. We service industries ranging from power distribution, OEM equipment manufacture, medical, motor sports, oil and gas, food and more.

Q: How did D.P. Tool get started? What is some of the history of the company?

A: In 1972, David A. Phillips founded D.P. Tool & Machine in a small shop in Livonia, Livingston County, where he was the only employee. David learned the trade while serving in the Navy and by later working in other local machine shops.

Since then, D.P. Tool moved from Livonia to Honeoye Falls and ultimately expanded into a newly constructed building in Avon approximately 20 minutes south of Rochester. D.P. Tool is a family-owned business currently run by the second generation of David C. Phillips and Peter Phillips.

Q: Your success indicates an ability to weather the recession storm. What has the company done to perform well in a tough market and economy?

A: Over the years we have grown slowly, predominantly by our reputation and customer referrals. Our success in recent years with a sluggish economy has been due to widening our customer base and entering new markets.

In 2009, we hired Michael Corcimiglia as director of business development. We actively sought new customers and found that nearly every new prospect that toured our facility ultimately became a new customer. They were very impressed with the appearance of our shop and the equipment and technology we possessed. We have been reinvesting heavily in the past five years so we can offer the highest level of technology available today.

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This new equipment has allowed our employees to keep up with emerging technology and not fall behind and become obsolete. Another very important factor to our success is our workforce. They are dedicated and loyal and often refer friends and family to work at D.P. Tool.

Our location just off Interstate 390 in Livingston County has also been very good for us. Our town and county have been very receptive to our needs and our physical location gives us access to a large employment pool looking to cut some time off their commute to Rochester.

Q: Whatís ahead for D.P. Tool? What do you hope to do in the future to help the company grow?

A: Our future plans for growth will be to continue broadening our customer base and looking for a little more short and mid-run production work that new, inexperienced workers can perform without extensive training. We also are considering another building expansion and have already been working with Pat Rountree at the Livingston County Economic Development Office.

Our current new growth opportunities require some people of the highest skill, which may require us to start with people that have higher-level educations. We plan to recruit students at the high-school level and try to show them and their parents that manufacturing may be different than they perceive it to be. Precision machining is no longer the dirty, labor-intensive job that manufacturing has been associated with.

Strong math and computer skills are needed in our industry today. I believe that the cost of higher education and the fact that many of our young college graduates are leaving our state for other employment opportunities is reason enough to consider another path.

By entering the workforce right out of high school and enrolling in a curriculum like the precision machining offered by Monroe Community College, a student can gain the financial support of their employer and earn while they learn. They may also find themselves later at an engineering college and achieve a four-year degree without as large a debt and ultimately find desirable employment right here in New York state.

Q: What do you do outside of work? Family? Children? What do you like to do for fun?

A: My brother David and I grew up racing motocross, a physically demanding sport that taught us discipline and mechanical aptitude. Davidís wife, Kim, and two sons David, 16, and Dalton, 14, continued racing motorcycles and enjoy school sports at Bloomfield.

My wife, Teya, and I have two children, Austin, 11, and Paige, 9, who both attend Avon Central School. They love it there and we feel they are getting a good education. We have always been small-town people and enjoy the community we live in.